How often have you heard someone say – “I had a great idea but I can’t remember it” ? Perhaps it’s something that you’ve said yourself. Well if you’re writing articles there’s nothing worse than having some great ideas and then not being able to remember them lately. And the more you write, the more ideas will keep popping into your head. So it’s really important that you have a variety of ways to record article ideas.
Here are 7 methods that you can use.
1. Keep a storyboard
If you’re someone who works well with visual ideas then a storyboard can be a great way of recording ideas. You can keep electronic storyboards or you can keep a cork board at home and just attach any pictures that inspire you.
2. Record your ideas
Smart phone are great for recording ideas on. I personally like to have a small dictaphone that I can pick up and just hit the record programme without trying to find the right app on my phone. Recording is a great way of getting down ideas very quickly.
3. Take photographs
If you see something that inspires you – take a snap. You might also need to make a note of why it inspires you if you think there’s a chance you might forget.
4. Use a notebook
I like to have notebooks everywhere in my house – including the toilet. So if I get an idea I can always write it down.
5. Back of an envelope
A friend of mine prefers to use the back of an envelope to record ideas rather than a notebook. She recycles all her post, stings a whole lot of envelopes together and hangs them off doors. It works for her.
6. Use index cards
You can record ideas on index cards and mark them off when they’re written.
7. Use mindmapping software
Mindmapping software is a great way for recording ideas and for generating further ideas.
What to do with all your ideas
It’s all very well having all these ideas and it’s great to get them all down in one format or another. But you need to use some sort of tracking tool so that you know where your ideas are. It’s annoying to know that you wrote a good idea somewhere but you’ve no idea where it is and you can only remember half of it. I like to use an excel spreadsheet where I collate all my ideas but that’s not for everyone. Just ensure you’re not recording ideas and then failing to use them.